Will Negredo return to Valencia next season?

With a goal against Arsenal last Monday evening, Alvaro Negredo has now scored eight times for Middlesbrough this Premier League season, which makes him the relegation-threatened club's top scorer.

His tally is also higher than that of any member of the Valencia squad - with six, Santi Mina and Munir El Haddadi are closest - which he left behind last summer, exiting through the back door on loan after a disciplinary proceeding had been opened against him following comments made at the end of last season.

His high salary was another reason Los Che wanted to erase his name from their books, but they were only able to do so temporarily and another decision on the 31-year-old striker's future must be taken this summer.

New managing director Mateu Alemany would not be drawn into discussing Negredo's individual situation, but he did admit that some players won't be going anywhere.

"I confirm that there are some players who are non-transferable and who won't be sold," he said on Wednesday to Radio Valencia.

Alemany also revealed that the club would approach the transfer market by analysing each player one at a time and that they'll make those decisions at the end of the current season.

In the case of Negredo, the forward may have reached double figures by then and it could be tricky for those in the offices of the Mestalla to decide if he should stay or if he should go.